Box Ball
Rating: 8+
Any number of players can participate, but the best groups number between six and twenty. You will need a box for each player (the boxes should all be about the same size), a red rubber ball, and some small stones.
Because one of the objects of the box ball game is to strike other players with the ball, be sure to play with a light rubber ball that won't hurt the players when they are struck. Avoid using heavier balls such as a basketball.
Place the boxes in a row on the floor, with the open side up. The players stand in a line at some distance from them, each player opposite his own box and facing it. The player at the right of the line tosses the ball into any one of the boxes. All the players scatter except the one whose box the ball has fallen into. He runs, picks up the ball, and tries to throw it so as to strike one of the other players.
If the player fails to hit another player, put a stone in his box. The other players then form in line as at first, and he starts the game again by tossing the ball into one of the boxes. If, however, he succeeds in hitting the player he aims at, the player who is struck is the one who receives a stone and starts the game again. If anyone fails in his attempt to toss the ball into a box, he also receives a stone, and the player next to him in line makes the attempt. When a player has five stones in his box, he goes out of the game. The last player left is the winner.
